Wire ropeway



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(No Model.) ,7 J. T. LUDLOW.

WIRE ROPEWAY. No. 572,305. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets8heet 2 J. T. LUDLOW.

WIRE ROPBWAY.

N0. 57Z,305. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

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J. T. LUDLOW. WIRE. ROPEWAY.

' No. 572,305. Patented Dec. 1,1896.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.-

J. T. LUDLOW.

wmn ROPEWAY. No. 572,305. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. LUDLOIV, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE ROPEWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,305, dated December1, 1896- Applioation filed February 17, 1896. Serial No. 579,527. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. LUDLow, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in lVire Ropeways; and I hereby declare thefol-- lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of devices in the art of wire-ropetransmission commonly known as wire ropeways and in which a travelingcable extending between terminal points is adapted to receive andtransport loads of material, such as ore, coal, &c., said material beingcarried in buckets suspended from the traveling cables by means ofhangers and clips.

My invention consists in the novel means of holding the suspendinghanger of the bucket during the periods of its loading and unload- Italso consists in the novel means of loading the buckets, all of which Ishall hereinafter describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is an elevation of the loading mechanism. Fig. 2 is a topview of same below the platform. Fig. 3 is an end view of the unloadingmechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail of the charge-hopper-gate-controllingmechanism. Fig. 5 is a top view showing thechargehopper-gate-controlling mechanism. Fig. 6 is a side view showingthe pin 7' traveling under the pivoted track j as the loading-car movesforward. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the pin j traveling on top ofsaid track as the car returns. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lowerend of the hopper J, showing its gate j closed. Fig; 9 is a view ofsame, showing gate 3' open and its wall continuin g the side walls ofthe hopper.

The cable A may be supposed to extend between any terminal points, such,for example, as is represented at one end by a sheave B, Fig. 2, and atthe other end by another sheave, (unnecessary herein to show,) and saidcable may be supposed to be driven by any suitable means.

Suspended from the cable by means of a suitable clip, such as isrepresented by O, is a hanger D, the lower end of which is connectedwith the bail e of the bucket E.

Throughout the length of the cable there may be as many of these hangersand buckets as are required.

At one point in the course of travel of the empty bucket, usually justafter it passes around the terminal sheave B, (see Fig. 2,) its hangerDcomes in contact with a shoulner f of a trip-arm f pivoted to theloadingcar F at f and controlled by a spring f so that its shoulderis'held normally in the path of the hanger. The loading-car F is mountedat an inclination upon wheels f traveling on tracks fZFig. 1, therebeing two Wheels above and one below Fig. 2. The lower end of thisloading-car is provided with a gate G, which, when closed, retains thematerial in the car, and, when opened, allows it to flow by gravity intothe bucket E below.

The gate G has side flanges g, which, when the gate is open, continuethe side walls of the car nearly down to the bucket. This gate G is hungfrom the point g at its top, and is held in a closed position againstthe weight of the load above it by means of a rod g the other end ofwhich has wheels 9 which travel on each side of the cam-track H, whichatone portion h of its length (see Fig. 2) is inclined toward the lineof travel of the bucket, whereby, as the wheels 9 travel on saidinclined portion, the gate G is swung open to discharge the contents ofthe car into the underlying bucket. When this delivery is accomplished,the trip-arm f is released from the hanger D of the bucket by reason ofthe forward end f of said arm coming in contact with and travelingoutwardly on the inclined plane f which causes the arm to swing aboutits pivot and to remove its shoulder from the hanger, so that the hangerand bucket proceed upon their course, while the loading-car, being nowfreed, is returned to its initial position by means of a weight W andintervening connections, and is then ready to be picked up again by thehanger of the succeeding bucket.

I is a loading-platform above, from which extends downwardly a hopper J,having hinged at its lower end at the point j a gate j, provided withsides j Fig. '8, which are adapted, when the gate is dropped to an openposition, to inclose and continue the sides of the hopper, Fig. 9, sothat the mateangled pawl 7' rial fed thereto will pass on down throughit directly into the underlying loading-car.

In Fig. 2 when the loading-car is in its initial position under hopper Jand has just received its load therefrom the gate G of said ear is ofcourse closed in order to hold the load, and said gate is held closed byreason of the wheels g engaging that portion of the cam-track H which atthis place, where the hopper is located, is, as shown in Fig. 2, thefarthest removed from the line of travel of the bucket and cable, andconsequently, through the rod 9 the gate G- is pulled and held in aclosed position; but as the loadingcar is carried forward by and withthe bucket the wheels g traveling on the portion h of track H whichinclines toward the line of travel of the bucket, cause the rod 9 toswing the gate G open, which is its position in Fig. 1, the bucket andloading-car in said figure being supposed to be farther removed from theobserver than the hopper J, which is nearer and has its gate j closed,as shown, for the workmen to supply it with a fresh charge. \Vhen theloading-caris disengaged from the bucket and returns, the gate G closesagain by the return on track H, and when once more under the hopper isready to receive a fresh load.

When the bucket and the loading-car are traveling together during theperiod of the loading of the former, the workmen on the platform Isupply a charge of material to the hopper J, the gate of which is closedand held in this closed position against the weight of the material bymeans of a weighted arm 7' Fig. 1, connected with a ratchet-bar j, whichis engaged and held by an angled pawl j, controlled by a strong springj.

A pivoted track 7' Figs. 4, 5, 0, and 7, has one of its ends lying underthe end of the At its other end it has a widcued portion j which has itsunder side out on a double incline, as shown. Now when the loading caris returning to its initial position a pin j fastened to it, will freelypass onto the widened portion j of the pivoted track and travel on topof it, as is shown in Figs. 5 and 7. In doing this it bears that end ofthe track down and raises its other end, causing said last-named end tobear up under and to release the angled pawl 7' from the ratchet-barf,whereupon the weight of the material in the hopper will open its gateand the material will drop down into the loading-car, the gate of whichhas been closed and is now held closed by means of the rod 9 andcam-track II; but on the forward move ment of the loading-car the pin j(having left the track 7' Fig. 4:, which, being relieved, had allowedthe hopper-gate to be closed by the weighted arm 3) now passes withoutviolent contact under the inclined lower surface of the widened end j ofthe'track f, as is shown in Fig. 6, and though it lifts said end theother end is depressed and simply moves away from the angled pawl fwithout affecting it. By this arrangement of having in addition to theloading-car a charge-hopper no time need be wasted, as the workmen neednot await the return of the car, but may, while it is accompanying thebucket and delivering its load, fill in a charge to the hopper, ready tobe delivered to the loading-car upon its return. As soon as the chargeis delivered from the hopper the weighted arm j closes the gate j, andthe hopper is ready to receive its next charge.

At any desired point in the course of the tramway there is located adumping-rail K, Fig. 3, having an inclined course and adapted to receivethe contact of an arm 6', projecting from the bottom of the bucket E,and by the travel of said arm up the rail the bucket will beautomatically dumped, turning about its bail 6 until its contents aredischarged. lVhile traveling at this portion of its course the bail ofthe bucket is guided against a fixed track M of the framework. When thebucket is being operated upon, either in loading or in unloading, theoperations are such as to cause the hanger of the bucket to be retardedmore or less, as, for example, in the loading part of its course it hasto pick up and carry with it for a short distance the loading-car, andin the dumping portion of its course it has to bear the resistance ofthe contact of the arm e of the bucket with the dumping-rail K. Forthese reasons it is necessary, in order to hold the hanger perpendicularand steady under this work, to assist it at these points in its course.The means which I employ to accomplish this work are as follows:

Referring to the loading portion of the tramway, Figs. 1 and 2, it willbe seen that there is a chain N, mounted and adapted to travel uponsuitable pulleys n. The travel of this chain is effected by means ofsuitable gearing (indicated by n) driven from the main cable machinery,and its rate of speed is the same as that of the cable A. Its positionis such that it is in proximity to the hangers of the buckets, and pins71 projecting from said chain, are caused thereby to come in contactwith and engage said hangers, and thus to assist the onward movement ofthe hangers and to hold them straight and steady. At the unloading-pointof the ropeway there is the same traveling chain similarly lettered andadapted to perform precisely the same function at that point. This chainis here shown driven by connection from a supplementary cable a,deriving its power from the main cable.

I am aware of the use in cable-tramways of devices for assisting andholding the hangers of the buckets while the loading and dump ingoperations are being performed. Heretofore these means have consisted ofwhat is termed a rag-wheel, namely, a sprocketwheel which has beenlocated upon the terminal shaft of the tramway, so that the clumping andloading devices will necessarily be confined to the termini. This hasbeen found .Patent, is-

1. In a wire ropeway and in combination with the traveling b ucket, aloading-car adapted to accompany the bucket for a given distance, and toreturn again to its initial point, said car having a gate at its lowerend, provided with side flanges, which, when the gate is open continuethe side walls of the car and a rod from said gate engaging a cam-trackby which it is operated to control the opening and closing of the gate.

2. In a wire ropeway, and in combination with the traveling bucket,aloading-car adapted to accompany the bucket for a given distance and toreturn to its initial point, a swinging gate hinged to the lower end ofthe car, and adapted to open under the weight of the load, a rod fromsaid gate engaging a camtrack by which it is operated to control theopening and closing of the gate, an overlying charge-hopper adapted tosupply a charge of material to the loading-car when the latter is at itsinitial point.

3. In a wire ropeway and in combination with the traveling bucket, aloading-car adapted to accompany the bucket for a certain distance andthen to return to its initial point, and an overlying charge-hopperadapted to supply a charge of material to the loadingcar when the latteris at its initial point.

4. In a wire ropeway and in combination with the traveling bucket, aloadin g-car adapthopper having the gate at its lower end prov videdwith ends adapted to continue the walls of the chute when supplying thecharge.

5. In a wire ropeway and in combination with the traveling bucket, aloading-car adapted to accompany the bucket for a certain distance andthen to return to its initial point, an overlying charge-hopper adaptedto supply a charge of material to the loading-car when the latter is atits initial point, said hopper having a swinging gate at its lower end,and the means for controlling said gate consisting of the weighted arm,the ratchet-bar, the spring-controlled pawl and swinging track forreleasing the pawl and the pin on the loading-car for operating thetrack.

6. In a wire ropeway having buckets suspended by hangers from atraveling cable, the

means for holding said hangers straight dur-' ing operations tending toretard them, consisting of a chain moving at the rate of speed of thehangers and having means for engagin g them.

7. In a wire ropeway having buckets suspended by hangers from atraveling cable, the means for holding said hangers straight duringoperations tending to retard them, consisting of a traveling chainmoving at the rate of speed of the hangers and having pins adapted toengage said hangers.

8. In a wire ropeway having buckets suspended by hangers from atraveling cable, and having means for loading and unloading, dependingfor their operation upon the traveling buckets and hangers, means forholding and steadyin g the hangers against the retarding tendency ofsaid operations, consisting of endless traveling chains moving at therate of speed of the cable and engaging the hangers.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES T. LUDLOWu WVitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JESSIE O. Bnonrn.

